Skip to main content
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1974 Aug;6(2):200–206. doi: 10.1128/aac.6.2.200

Effect of Chelating Agents on the Susceptibility of Some Strains of Gram-Negative Bacteria to Some Antibacterial Agents

H Haque 1, A D Russell 1
PMCID: PMC444627  PMID: 15828192

Abstract

The effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and related chelating agents on the susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other strains of gram-negative bacteria to some β-lactam antibiotics and some non-antibiotic antibacterial agents have been studied by two methods: (i) the determination of minimal inhibitory concentrations in the presence and absence of a chelating agent; and (ii) pretreatment with a chelating agent, followed by exposure for up to 120 min at 37 C to a β-lactam drug in a nutrient medium or to the other type of antibacterial agent in a non-nutrient environment. The pretreatment technique gave the more significant results, especially with chlorhexidine, cetrimide, and benzalkonium chloride. Chelating agents that had previously been found to give a low order of activity as measured by effects on bacterial viability nevertheless appeared to induce some changes in the surface layers of the treated organisms, rendering them susceptible to sub-inhibitory concentrations of non-antibiotic drugs.

Full text

PDF
200

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Haque H., Russell A. D. Effect of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and related chelating agents on whole cells of gram-negative bacteria. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1974 May;5(5):447–452. doi: 10.1128/aac.5.5.447. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. LEIVE L. A NONSPECIFIC INCREASE IN PERMEABILITY IN ESCHERICHIA COLI PRODUCED BY EDTA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1965 Apr;53:745–750. doi: 10.1073/pnas.53.4.745. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. LEIVE L. ACTINOMYCIN SENSITIVITY IN ESCHERICHIA COLI PRODUCED BY EDTA. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1965 Jan 4;18:13–17. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(65)90874-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Leive L. Studies on the permeability change produced in coliform bacteria by ethylenediaminetetraacetate. J Biol Chem. 1968 May 10;243(9):2373–2380. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Marshall M. J., Ross G. W., Chanter K. V., Harris A. M. Comparison of the substrate specificities of the -lactamases from Klebsiella aerogenes 1082E and Enterobacter cloacae P99. Appl Microbiol. 1972 Apr;23(4):765–769. doi: 10.1128/am.23.4.765-769.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Neu H. C., Winshell E. B. Lack of synergy of EDTA with antimicrobials in resistant enterobacteriaceae. Nature. 1970 Feb 21;225(5234):763–763. doi: 10.1038/225763a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. O'Callaghan C., Morris A. Inhibition of beta-lactamases by beta-lactam antibiotics. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1972 Dec;2(6):442–448. doi: 10.1128/aac.2.6.442. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Richmond M. H., Sykes R. B. The beta-lactamases of gram-negative bacteria and their possible physiological role. Adv Microb Physiol. 1973;9:31–88. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2911(08)60376-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Russell A. D. Effect of magnesium ions and ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid on the activity of vancomycin against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. J Appl Bacteriol. 1967 Aug;30(2):395–401. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1967.tb00314.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Russell A. D. Effects of some beta-lactam antibiotics on the morphology of some beta-lactamase and non-beta-lactamase producing strains of gram negative bacteria. J Appl Bacteriol. 1973 Jun;36(2):357–359. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1973.tb04115.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES